Never Stop Learning

There's the kind of learning that happens unintentionally. Things like, an unattended vegetarian chicken patty left alone cooking in a toaster oven for too long will fill the upstairs of your home with a eerie smoke that simply won't leave. Or perhaps, that fact that two cats and a ziplock baggie full of catnip, when left in a room together, will transform your living room into some kind of freaky feline crackhouse, with kitties rolling in ecstacy on the floor and making meepmeep noises.

(Mmm. Seems both these bits of learning resulted from leaving things unattended. Short attention span, anyone?)

Anyway...
There's the kind of learning that is intentional. I don't know that I have that kind too often, where I actively persue new knowledge. Did years of school and college just sour my inner scholar to the whole idea of "studying" something?

Today, however, my wonderful friend Melissa answered my request of her to teach me something new and totally different...soldering. I really had to commit to this lesson, and bought a soldering iron, some flux and (annoyingly) the wrong sort of solder. (Mm. Another unintentional lesson: There are different kids of solder.)

I have to confess I was nervous because it involves a very hot soldering gun and a lot of patience...but man, I am hooked! I just love love love what I can make with it.

Here are my first 3 (not quite complete) pieces. The long pendant and small square will have some charms and beads added to the jump rings.

I learned something new! ON PURPOSE! Yay me!